2022 A Year Of Miracles
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Have you made your news years resolutions yet. What were some of them?
How many of you need a miracle to keep them?
Story - Billy Richards - phone call
Defined:
In Hebrew it means a long pole that can be seen from a distance it is a sign or place for a banner. - It also means something beyond ones power or unattainable. The act of salvation and redemption. Gods work in creation and sovereignty over it. Beyond human comprehension.
In Greek - Signs and wonders - A revelation of God, “power” to the force behind the act, “work” to the person behind it, and “wonder” to its “awesome” effect on the observer.
They are Mighty and Meaningful
Real miracles are under Gods control. They are evident throughout the OT and the NT-
Scripture is a book of Miracles
Interesting enough
In the OT, miracles were conspicuously absent in the period of the united monarchy. This was a time of self-sufficiency.
You don’t need a miracle if you can do it yourself.
In the Elijah-Elisha cycle, miracles were predominant. This was a time of apostasy, and under the reign of Ahab and Jezebel the nation turned to paganism and the worship of Baal. The very existence of the Hebraic religion seemed to be threatened, and so the times called for extraordinary measures.
Some believe that the day of miracles has come and gone with the disciples.
They live in a oh well if it is God’s will. Can you imagine living your life that way. It is EORE Christianity. The donkey from Winnie the Pooh.
The day of miracles has not past- If your in a church that does not believe in miracles you are in a mighty sad, powerless church. It might be time for you to find another one.
Rationalists and Traditionalists love to put God in a box or not deal with God at all. This leads to a very stagnant faith.
Why would you expect a miracle from a God you don’t really believe in or one that is not involved in the affairs of His people.
I believe not only in miracles but they increase as one relies on God
When it comes to faith;
It indicates belief in the abiding presence of Jesus and the continuing and consistent availability of his healing power.
When do they happen?
After Prayer: A miracle taking place after prayer cannot be taken as coincidence: the waters of Marah are cured after Moses’ prayer (Exod 15:26), and the thirsty Samson’s prayer brings about the splitting of the hollow place at Lehi, permitting water to come forth
Judg 15:18–19
Then he became very thirsty, and he called to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
The healing of Paul by Ananias
When we need a miracle we pray for a miracle.
When healing is required we pray for it
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children.
We leave it up to God but we do not doubt.
2. Prior Announcement. The prior announcement, similar to the prayer, testifies to the fact that the miracle is the result of divine intervention. Before the crossing of the Jordan, for example, Joshua announces: “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Josh 3:5), and further on (vv 10–13) he details what will happen when they cross.
It is a declaration of what God is going to do
3. At The Perfect Time - So God can get the glory.
George Mueller "The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in."
Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.
Are we in need of a miracle - YES
Personally - Corporately and Nationally
It is absurd to those who do not believe.
When Jesus healed the sick and the lame the religious leaders sought to kill Jesus.
Miracles are a proof of an all powerful God - Daniel 3:28-29
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”
Shadrack, Mishak and Abendigo didn’t loose faith when tossed in the fiery furnace.
Miracles always lets you know who is in charge.
It is an act in which God reveals himself, his might power and character to us. In every case God performed the miracle not merely as a “wonder” to inspire awe in man but as a “sign” to draw men to himself.
When Christ comes on the scene evil is dealt with immediately. This is seen in the end times when the world comes against Jesus and they are defeated easily.
As we start a study on the Book of revelations we will see rather quickly that when God steps onto the scene- the scene changes rapidly and radically
Jesus also made it clear that certain miracles will in fact take place because of His presence.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Conclusion:
If we are to have a year of miracles we have to expect God to show up.
Charles Finney the great revivalist speaks of revivals and why they stop he said
They stop because you predict they will stop - or in this case not happen.
They stop as we stop renewing the work - A farmer stops planting crops- when he stops the crops stop.
When it becomes a plan not the power of God
When other concerns supersede Gods concerns.
When we become selfish and prideful
When you are stronger in your strength rather than the strength of God. WOW
When infighting starts. - We need to be in one accord.
When Gods people loose their zeal. and more